I posted this on Reviews and didn't get any replies, so I hope I can get something here:
For those of you using 5D MkII's; how do your batteries hold up in cold weather?
I have seen many comments from people that indicate that the batteries don't last very long in cold weather. Actually, Canon says the lower operating limit is 32 degrees F, right? How can you actually say that a camera shouldn't be used when it's below freezing? If that was the case, I couldn't take pictures from September to May! I used my 20D is all kinds of cold weather and I was really impressed with its lasting power.
I'm talking about temperatures at or below 0 degrees F. Any info on your experiences would be appreciated! It does seem that the people who had good experiences with their batteries were using the battery grip.
Posted by Adam Schallau on March 19, 2009 at 3:40 PM
Genny,
My within a week of getting my 5D Mark II I shot an assignment covering an ice fishing tournament. Most of the day was in the teens and 20s F. I used one battery and shot over 300 photos and still had more than half of my battery remaining.
Sorry I can't give you any feedback regarding the kind of temps that you operate in.
I just returned from Nepal and was using the 5D Mk II in temps below zero with the standard battery (no grip). I had no problems other than the normal cold 'drain' on battery life. I would use a chemical handwarmer to keep an extra battery warm in my pocket just in case. In those temps I would guess the battery life was reduced by about 40%.
Posted by David Taylor on March 19, 2009 at 5:12 PM
One thing that used to work when I shot film in my EOS 3, was to buy those toe warmers (the ones with the sticky back) and attach them to the bottom of the camera, on the battery door latch. I haven't tried it yet on my digital systems, but theoretically it should still work. I agree with Mike's comment too, keep spares in your pocket with chemical hand warmers. I also just bought a bunch of 3rd party "BP-511"'s from sterlingtek.com. 2 batteries for $24 - I bought 4. Just used them down in Homer for bald eagles this past weekend and had great success with them. They are rated at 2000 mAh, where as the Canon brand are around 1400 mAh (I believe). They seemed to last longer than the Canon's and are MUCH cheaper. The temps hovered around 0 during the feeding times, and I still got about 500-600 shots out of a single battery in my 50D. Good value it seems, even if they do only as well as the Canon's, they are around 1/6 of the cost.
Thanks for the replies, guys. That's what I'm looking for, real world experiences. I had gotten the distinct impression on dpreview (and somewhere else that I can't remember right now) that the new "smart" batteries on the 5DMKII were extra sensitive to cold weather.
Is there any kind of warranty reason why you should NOT use 3rd party batteries on the MkII, and is anybody even making them?
David, good idea on the toe warmers. I haven't tried them on a digital camera either. I was thinking of getting one of those "camera armor" things, and sliding the wamer in the bottom of it, but you definitely don't want to get things too warm.
I kinda have my heart set on a 5DMkII......
Posted by David Taylor on March 20, 2009 at 2:58 AM
I hear you Genny, I'm going to pick one up as well. Well, I was going to until I "got unemployed" yesterday. Talk about being blind-sided! One minute I've got a steady job, the next I don't. This is just going to push me even harder to become fully self-employed.
I've been using third party batteries on multiple bodies for quite some time. No problems, and more than double the capacity. It's absolutely ridiculous what Canon charges for branded batteries and I really see no reason to use them just because their name is on them. I've always used Sterlingtek and never had a problem.
That said, you might want to check out the Luminous Landscapes Antarctic trip report. If I remember correctly fully 25% of the Mark 2's failed on that trip, and it wasn't even that cold. It seemed to be a combination of temperature and moisture levels. Don't be too quick to blame the photographers either - the effects of condensation and temperature (were / are) well understood, especially when you're sailing through the arctic on an icebreaker. Almost no other cameras failed.
Not to put down the Mark 2, just information. I still want one, failure rates be damned.
Kurt- I looked at Luminous Landscapes and I can't find a trip report on the latest Antarctic trip; could you tell me where it's listed on there? I see a report on a past trip, back in 2005 and 2007, I think, but not the latest one..... is it under the forums?
Posted by Kent Staubus on March 21, 2009 at 12:21 AM
I saw that LumLand review also, and noted the Nikon D700 seemed to hold up better in REAL cold. I've had zero problems with my D300 in twenty to thirty below temps here, and will likely get a D700 eventually when prices drop (as they always do on DSLR.) Antarctica is on my "list" of places to go.
Wow, that's a really interesting report; if you haven't read it yet, you should.
Frankly, the failure rate of the 5DMkII cameras was amazing, and not in a good way.
Considering that where I live is some combination of cold and/or wet about 90% of the time, this really makes wonder.....my 1DsMkII is not very good in cold weather, but at least it's weatherproof!!!
Discussion
10 repliesFor those of you using 5D MkII's; how do your batteries hold up in cold weather?
I have seen many comments from people that indicate that the batteries don't last very long in cold weather. Actually, Canon says the lower operating limit is 32 degrees F, right? How can you actually say that a camera shouldn't be used when it's below freezing? If that was the case, I couldn't take pictures from September to May! I used my 20D is all kinds of cold weather and I was really impressed with its lasting power.
I'm talking about temperatures at or below 0 degrees F. Any info on your experiences would be appreciated!
My within a week of getting my 5D Mark II I shot an assignment covering an ice fishing tournament. Most of the day was in the teens and 20s F. I used one battery and shot over 300 photos and still had more than half of my battery remaining.
Sorry I can't give you any feedback regarding the kind of temps that you operate in.
I just returned from Nepal and was using the 5D Mk II in temps below zero with the standard battery (no grip). I had no problems other than the normal cold 'drain' on battery life. I would use a chemical handwarmer to keep an extra battery warm in my pocket just in case. In those temps I would guess the battery life was reduced by about 40%.
Is there any kind of warranty reason why you should NOT use 3rd party batteries on the MkII, and is anybody even making them?
David, good idea on the toe warmers. I haven't tried them on a digital camera either. I was thinking of getting one of those "camera armor" things, and sliding the wamer in the bottom of it, but you definitely don't want to get things too warm.
I kinda have my heart set on a 5DMkII......
That said, you might want to check out the Luminous Landscapes Antarctic trip report. If I remember correctly fully 25% of the Mark 2's failed on that trip, and it wasn't even that cold. It seemed to be a combination of temperature and moisture levels. Don't be too quick to blame the photographers either - the effects of condensation and temperature (were / are) well understood, especially when you're sailing through the arctic on an icebreaker. Almost no other cameras failed.
Not to put down the Mark 2, just information. I still want one, failure rates be damned.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/antarctica-2009-worked.shtml
Kent in SD
Frankly, the failure rate of the 5DMkII cameras was amazing, and not in a good way.
Considering that where I live is some combination of cold and/or wet about 90% of the time, this really makes wonder.....my 1DsMkII is not very good in cold weather, but at least it's weatherproof!!!